David Jofre Tejada, SVP, Business Development, Shift4
with David Jofre Tejada, Shift4
David opens the episode by introducing Shift4 to c-suite podcast listeners, with the company processing over $260 billion annually and operating across the US, Europe, LATAM, Asia and Australia. He explains how Shift4’s global footprint has been built through a deliberate, strategic M&A approach that differs from traditional acquirers.
Rather than buying portfolios, Shift4 acquires capabilities:
- Global Blue (80% market share in tax‑free and DCC)
- Yocuda (digital receipts)
- Givex (loyalty and gift cards)
These acquisitions allow Shift4 to offer a fully integrated omnichannel stack, combining card‑present devices, loyalty, tax‑free, DCC, digital receipts and e‑commerce orchestration into a single platform.
David also discusses the company’s long‑term preparation for stablecoins, CBDCs and tokenised settlement, with Shift4 already supporting on‑ramp providers, crypto exchanges, “pay with crypto” flows and stablecoin settlement. Demand is rising fastest among cross‑border, high‑velocity sectors such as gaming, FX and OTAs.
A standout moment: Shift4 has used AI to compress merchant onboarding from 15–20 days → 4 days → under 24 hours, enabling partners to activate e‑commerce and card‑present merchants almost instantly.
Nabil Manji, Executive Lead, Enterprise Growth & Partnerships, Global Payments
Nabil Manji, Global Payments
Nabil reflects on a lively panel exploring whether governments and fintechs are competing or collaborating on payments. His conclusion: both sides ultimately want the same outcome -rails that work for merchants, consumers and ecosystem players – but differ on how to get there.
He identifies “rewiring” as the most transformative force in payments today. This includes:
- Real‑time payments gaining traction in the US
- Wero and the digital euro reshaping Europe
- Stablecoins emerging as a serious liquidity and treasury tool
Nabil argues that the most realistic path to mainstream stablecoin adoption is not consumer payments, but treasury and liquidity management for large multinational enterprises. The real unlock will be integrating stablecoins into:
- Treasury management systems
- Reconciliation workflows
- Back‑office reporting
Without that plumbing, he says, stablecoins cannot scale.
Looking ahead, he predicts a settlement stack that is real‑time, modular and API‑driven, replacing batch files with streaming, transaction‑level settlement across multiple rails.
Ugnė Buračienė, CEO, Payabl.
with Ugne Buraciene, Payabl.
Fresh from two panels, including one on whether Wero can solve Europe’s payments paradox, Ugnė explains why Europe remains one of the most fragmented payment regions in the world. Despite the perception of a unified market, almost every country still has its own dominant local payment method.
She believes Wero is taking meaningful steps toward becoming a true pan‑European alternative, especially with the introduction of recurring payments, but adoption will take time. Still, she expects significant progress over the next few years.
On AI, Ugnė describes Payabl.’s cautious, pragmatic approach. The company first deployed AI in fraud management, then gradually expanded into onboarding and compliance. AI now handles data‑heavy pre‑checks in 30 seconds, while humans retain full decision‑making authority and accountability. For Payabl., AI is an accelerator, not a replacement.
Ugnė also shares a remarkable personal story: she and 15 Payabl. team members completed the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, after a year‑long training programme funded by the company. She describes the experience as transformative, both personally and culturally, and plans to make an annual Payabl. Ironman challenge a tradition.
Konstantin Stiskin, Co‑Founder & Supervisory Board Chairman, Finom
with Konstantin Stiskin, Finom
Konstantin explains why Finom, now serving more than 250,000 SMEs across Europe, chose the Netherlands as its launchpad. He highlights:
- A strong, fintech‑literate regulator
- English‑first business culture
- A deep international talent pool
- A mindset geared toward pan‑European scaling
He argues that Europe still suffers from regulatory fragmentation, with national regulators acting as political actors protecting domestic interests. To unlock true hyperscale fintech growth, Europe needs:
- Greater centralisation under the ECB
- A pan‑European fintech sandbox
- Harmonised regulatory frameworks
On AI, Konstantin says Finom uses it extensively across operations, accounting and product development, but always with a human in the loop for regulatory assurance. He hints at several upcoming AI‑powered product launches designed to materially change how SMEs manage their finances.
Romain Berthomé, Director of Product, Booking.com
with Romain Berthome, Booking.com
Romain offers a deep dive into the complexity of payments in global travel – one of the most operationally demanding sectors in the world. Booking.com must orchestrate:
- Payouts to millions of accommodation partners
- Cross‑border flows across dozens of currencies
- Fraud prevention in a high‑velocity environment
- Customer trust at every step of the journey
He explains how Booking.com is evolving its payments infrastructure to support more modular, flexible and intelligent financial services, enabling smoother experiences for both travellers and partners.
Romain also discusses the growing importance of embedded finance in travel, as platforms increasingly take on financial responsibilities once handled by banks or PSPs.
Lloyd Hutchinson, Chief Commercial Officer, Enfuce
with Lloyd Hutchinson, Enfuce
Lloyd closes the episode with insights into the rapidly expanding world of embedded card issuing. Enfuce enables fintechs, retailers and platforms to launch regulated card programmes without building the underlying infrastructure – a model that is accelerating across Europe.
He explains how modularity, compliance and real‑time data are reshaping the economics of card issuing, and why Europe’s regulatory clarity is becoming a competitive advantage for innovators.
Lloyd also highlights the shift toward purpose‑built financial infrastructure, where companies embed payments, cards and compliance directly into their core products to unlock new business models.
